Recovery of values from rock asphalt and like material



J. W. COAST RECOVERY 0F VALUES FROM ROCK ASPHALT-AND LIKE MATERIAL Filed July 20, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 29, 1949 J, w. cAs-r 2,489,700

RECOVERY I01" VALUES FROM ROCK ASPHALT AND LIKE MATERIAL BYM`M Patented Nov. 29, 1949 UNIT-ED IS RECOVERY rOF VALUES FROM .RQCK ASHALTJ'ANYD LIKE MATERIAL .lohn W. Coast, Dallas, Tex.assignor of oneehalf to Clarence'H. Dragert, Dallas, Tex.

Application July 20, 1946Serial No. 685,066 .In-Cuba Auguste, 1945 '1 Claim. l

of the hydrocarbon or organic materials from the earthy or inorganic materials, and second, the v'separation of the hydrocarbon materials into selected usable valuable fractions or portions. The present .application includes ysolutions to both these problems in such a 'Way that'the Vsolution of each vis madeto assist in various respectsthe solution of the other. The provision of Va practical commercial solution of vthese ltwo-problems 'jointlyis aprincipal general object `ofthe present invention.

A further object -of the present vinvention is to V'provide a process for -the separatiom'of lthein- .organic materials from the organic materials lin the treatment-of :raw material -of 'this nature,

yprimarily :"by Adissolving fthe :oil-soluble organic we materials insa solvent/oil, :which is produced -in -a flater stage of :the .-.process, ithen :eiecting a substantial separation `of the 'solution l;of theror igani'mmaterialsin the solvent .oil `from vvthe inrorganicumaterials by `any one-or. moreiof several u spractical methods, :principally f,involving :a sep- .faration "based upon specific Agravity :difference lA further .object of fthe :present vinvention :is dao provide :for fthe :treatment of ithe, liquid vkpor.- vtion,Y separated-by zthenspecic s gravity difference r'asfeaicresaid,:in suena Way-.as dio vvseparatev there- ;ffrom any remaining inorganic. material, tw'hiclfi @may not ,have ,been completely separated sthere- )from by :thespecic `gravityseparatiori aforesaid.

ilfurtherfobjects Y:includewthezfurther treatment Aof this liquid :solution `of ,hydrocarbonrmaterials ,zinioil :tofseparate -it .intoselected usable fractions, preferably v`by evaporation Aand A,si-ibsequent frac- ..tional condensation, .fand vthefuseof at Vleasta portion of one of sucnfractions aszaiurther sup- A.ip lyof solvent oil, tlieprocess .preferably ,being continuous .in @character -and having ,the tadvan- ..tages i of known commercial :oilfreflningffprocesses .inthis respect. l,rrfuir,t1f1er specic Lobject ,inthis Vconnection,is to ,use suchfsolvent-as` such, While retaining ktherein ,a maximum amount ,of Athe sensible heat vcontained. by this material when it is .separated .as aforesaid .from other .iractions.

A further object -o'f ,the .inyention is to provide .a process andapparatusforthe treatment of the portion including amajor parapreferably at least 90% of the ,inorganic material Yand which is separated from the v,liquid portion by the specific gravity ,separation as aforesaid, s o as to recover from this portion, a maximum amount, preferably substantially all, of the hydrocarbon materials which maybe included with the inorganic materials "in ithe portion `resulting from the specific gravity separation. More speciiic objects in this respect are to effect this separation of the relatively lsmall amount o'f organic materials from the `relatively `large amount of Ainorganic materials by processes in'- cluding a vaporization separation ofthe organic materials, the admixture of aflarge lamount of .Water and subsequent decantation, or both.

A further objectof the present invention as adapted to a 4commercially practicable .apparatus for accomplishing :the objects, generally set forth above, is to provide for `suitable heat recovery and temperature ,control ,at any and all parts of the apparatus "for the entire Aprocess where the saving of heat'may lbe Aadvantageously effected, so as to e'conomize in the use nof fuel and to produce the `final products Jfor a minimum cost of the operation of the process and thus for a minimum Ycost per unit of the final products.

A `further object of vthe present linvention `is to combine a process as `hereinabove vset forth with conventional cracking, so that the lprocess may be operated `to produce,V among other 'fractions, a .cracking stock,1which may be the same ,as that used. as a major part at least ofthe solvent for yreturn .to .the dissolving ,step of 'the process. This stock .may .thereafterbe subjected to lany selected conventional vcrackingprocess as 4hereinafter set Vforth. 'for -the recovery therefrom of desired cracked petroleum products, particularly .high octane gasoline.

Furtherand more detailed objects `of the present invention Willbecome apparent from the following description .and ,appended claims When taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 illustratesin diagrammatic -form apparatus Afor carrying `out the `present 4invention inaccordance with kthe novel process hereinafter set forth :in detail; and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration showing the process of Fig. 1 as modined by the inclusion therein of conventional cracking steps and apparatus.

The present application relates particularly to a process and apparatus for treating a type of rock asphalt which has been found to exist in substantial quantities in Cuba and which is over 50% bituminous hydrocarbon material, the balance being a ne volcanic ash, which is relatively dillcult to separate from the hydrocarbon material due to the small size of the particles. It is desired that the separation be eiected in a liquid or substantially liquid phase in accordance with the present invention by rst dissolving the soluble portions, that is the hydrocarbon materials, in a solvent oil, which is produced as one of the products at a later stage of the process. It is preferred, in accordance with the present invention, to use4 as a solvent oil a large percentage, if not all, oi a hydrocarbon fraction known in the art as gas oil, rather than to use the lightest boiling fraction, such as gasoline or naphtha due to the volatile character of the latter, and then also to use such high temperatures in order to reduce the viscosity of the solution including Vthe inorganic ash or earthy material as will permit an effective separation. Following this separation, the liquid fraction is passed through a topping or evaporation and iractional condensation apparatus, although it may be necessary, as an intermediate step on this iraction, rst to separate any residual inorganic material therefrom. rIhe other fraction including most of the solids, is preferably passed through i one or more suitable processes for the recovery of such hydrocarbon materials as are still contained therein, which is principally solvent oil. The iirst step of the process is to get the soluble portions or" the raw material into solution in the solvent oil. In effecting this step of the process, it is contemplated that the material may be iirst comminuted and then the soluble portions thereof dissolved, or the comminuting and dissolving steps may be effected simultaneously, the net purpose and result to be desired being a solution of all the soluble portions, the inorganic material remaining in suspension in the solution.

Turning now to the accompanying drawings, raw material as aforesaid may be supplied from a comminuting apparatus (not shown) to a hopper l at the upper end of a standpipe or other equivalent apparatus 2, a suitable valve 3 being provided for controlling the rate of feed ci comminuted material from the hopper into the standpipe. rlhe material thence moves, preferably by gravity, into a mixing chamber il. Prior to this, however, solvent oil may be supplied through a line 5 under control or a suitable valve S therein to some suitable step or place in the process or apparatus at which the solution is to be initiated, here shown as the upper portion of the standpipe 2. In accordance with the present invention, I prefer that the material to be treated be ground to about to 40 mesh prior to mixing it with the solvent oil. The mixing chamber may be provided with suitable agitating means here shown as a mechanical stirrer l and actuated through suitable gearing 3 from a power shaft 9 which may be driven in any suitable manner (not shown) I contemplate, however, that other mixing means such as one or more circulating pumps may be used in addition to or in substitution for the means shown. Thus by the time the material is ready to leave the mixing chamber 4, substan- 4 tially all the soluble portions thereof will have been dissolved in the solvent oil. Further, in order to effect rapid and complete solution as aforesaid, it is desired that the solvent oil be supplied and maintained at a fairly high temperature, which is preferably in the order of magnitude of about 250 to about 450 F., and more specically and preferably, is about 350 F. This temperature will be selected, so as to be high enough to maintain the viscosity of the solution and its contained solid particles dov/n to a desired working range, yet below the evaporation point of most, if not all, of the constituents of the solvent oil, as it is not desired at this point in the process to produce any substantial amount of vapor in accordance with the present invention.

Material passes from a suitable point in the mixing chamber l through a line il! to a vapor separating chamber Il from the top of which a vapor line l2 passes to a suitable portion oi the apparatus later to be described. From the lower end of the separation chamber l I, the liquid and suspended solid matter passes through a line i3 to the next step o1 the process.

This step of the process is that of effecting a separation between the now liquid material in solution in the solvent oil and the solid or inorganic material mixed therewith. While it is contemplated that this separation might be elected by liltration, using any known or suitable filtering apparatus, such processes are usually somewhat slow, require a great deal of apparatus and tend to be intermittent in nature rather than continuous. For this reason it is not desired, in accordance with the present invention, to employ a filtration separation. The present invention contemplates separation by specic gravity difierence between the solid inorganic matter oi relatively high speciiic gravity and the liquid organic matter dissolved in the solvent oil, all of which has a relatively low speciiic gravity.

There are three basically different types of apparatus by which this specic gravity separation may be eiected. It is contemplated in accordance with the present invention, that any one or more of these types of apparatus may be used. The iirst type is the simple settling tanks, which are well known in the art and which may be provided in sui'licient number and capacity so as to elect a desired separation of practically all the solid material with some solvent oil remaining therein from practically all the liquid material which may still have some ne particles of inorganic material therein. In order to handle substantial quantities of material, such as are required for commercial operation, and to be able to operate the rest of the process as herein described in a substantially continuous manner, a relatively large number and capacity of settling tanks would be required. Thus while it is contemplated that this type of equipment may be used, it is not the preferred form in accordance with the present invention. The results, however, may be equally as eiiicient from the point of view of completeness of separation from those obtained from any other process, so that the use of this type of equipment is contemplated as feasible and completely operative in accordance with the present teachings.

The second type of equipment which may be used commercially to eiect the desired specific gravity separation involves the use of devices known as classiers or clarifiers, such, for eX- ample, as those made by the Dorr Company.

which fare v-welldmown in'the tart. :.These zdexzices are luiteceflicient .in -Yoperationand fare `:completely satisfactory from the '.point of yiew :of carrying Joutflthe J presentA ypiocess-f-aslffar f as the degree xof separation is lconcerned.- They: are not the preferred term however, 'fortworreasons, rst-"that fthe-devices farefiquite expensive l:as to initial Vcost Eand also they 'require a fmorefi dilute vs'olutlon'ftobe'iusedythat "Tis, the ratio di'A solvent oil'to =the^originalmaterial must-be lfat lleast 'Y2'1`1 in order that they 'may loperate'-'efliciently "This high *ratio of- A'solvent -oil requires the I re-circulationlthroughI fthegsys'tem fof-substantially larger quantities fof 'slvent oil"than `the third typefof apparatus, hereinafter -to sbe rdescribed, -Wherein a VIV1:1-ra`tio"'may ibeused, andithus vvincreases'fthe cost-of "the entire V'installation iby y'rea-son vof the requirement -for larger equipment `throughout for handling fthe larger Aamount of solvent oil, which -must "bere-circulated :in -the process.

The third and "preferred `'type of apparatus for "use l in effecting" this "specific gravity separation are rcentrifugal wdevices, 'gpreferably Yof '-'a continuous type. mercially available, .so 'that the detailed construction ofthe -devices ,per se Lforrns lno part l'off the present invention. They will operate, however, upon a 'mixture as hereinabove set forth, wherein av 1.:1...ratiov of .slventoil vto the original material 'is .used, considered Vfrom the point of view of the application of the present `process to erockasphalt, `such asiis now obtainable -in Cuba. .They operate .continuously,..so as ,to 'fit inadmrably with .the .rest of Athe process,` which is 4of a continuous type; and. they .eect'be'tter than. a.9`0.%, usually. about 9.5% or slightly better. separation vof .the .solid r.particles .from ftheesolution. .The ,processes 4and .apparatus .for fthe separation of .the ,remaining solid .particles `from the .solution rand f. for -the .separation .of solvent Vand dissolved. .material from the majory portion of the solid .material `Will rbe :set ,forth thereinafter.

`InI thefaccompanying drawmgsytherefis,.illustratedfat'. |f4 in blockfiorm^only,fapparatus, -Which may be any fone .of the three@typesahereinabove .set-forth, 'by'fwhich the z-major portion of :the solution v:is .separated trom-.fthe hiajor portion of the l:solid-material, :the ysolution passing there- -from through a .line Vl5 .and -the solid material passing .therefrom through.` a line t6. :YA .suitable pump apparatus llmayfbe interposed .asshown .as aforesaid. A,It .is contemplated l.that-...temperav.turesasfabove set forth :having extreme limits .otabout 250 'to ,about,.450:.E. and.-a:preferable `6 temperatur-e .oil about 50 JF., .Wilhbeemployedat -this .stage of :the .process Treatment of Athe liquid portion 'resltz'ngrom fspecil'c gravity separation .The :separated v.liquid portion rresultlng 4`from .the :spiecic :gravity separation zand. fWhich include a small San1.ou1'it,.rznot rover 103%.,:of the 'Such devices are'now compresent, fpassesyethrough 1 the line :L5 to `and through a heating device shown as a pipe lstill heater-'and indicatedxgenerally at 18. Here "the temperature 'fth'e vmaterials are-raised up to fthe evaporation :point of substantially all the vhydrocarbon `materials present. 'It -is kcontemplated that -this :temperature will be in the order o'fmagnitude of about 775 to about 950 F. Eand preferably 'about -850 F. The `pipe still heater lmay'be Vheated bythe 4combustion of any suitable fuel ori'romany 'other source 'of heat'available. `As "shown, it includes a portion IBintended to 'designate .a lire box, in which theffuel may beburnedin amanner not specifically illustrated. 'A suitable stack `for the exhaust of products 6i' combustion is illustrated at 20. "The separated'liquid material leaves the pipe still heater'l through afline 2'! .and thence passes to a vaporizing Achamber.22, Ya. suitable valve v23 being .interposed :in this line to Acontrol .the -iloW therethrough :and .preferably to restrict .the vaporization to a :substantial extent at lleast to the :chamber 2-2 vrather than to permit vaporization rWithin :thelpipe still heater orthe line 21|. In the AVchamber 22substantially all the volatile Aconstituents of the material supplied thereto lWill be vaporized Some non-volatile 'hydrocarbon material .may remain along With'fthemajor'portion atleast of the :inorganic non-volatiles, which `may pass'out of the bottom 'portion of the vaporizer through a suitable passage I'indicatedras :a'line 24. In the event "that this materialtconta-ins f'a vsubstantial amount :of tar Ior "pitch, 'the .material may 'be usable as azroad :building material, either alone or by admixture with other suitable materials. This `:materiellmay also Lbe .usable vfor other purposes which vwill not be specically disclosed 'as theyform `per; se n'opart' of Ithe present invention. Inanyevent` this non-volatile material is Aone oi the'rinalmroducts of the process as herein disclosed.

` The'vapor .passes from the vaporizing chamber 2-2, ,throughi'a .line-2.5,. inv-Whichfrnay be interposed a device 25 :for separating any 'solid particles from .the vapor orgas. This `.device may -be of the -electrical separator type such vas the Well .known Cottrell separator. The solid materials from this separation may then ibe disposed .of in any Vsuitable manner, .not illustrated. Gaseous products from this :separation :pass thence through-afline -2.-1.aand'a heat :interchanger generally-:indicated at :13, `Awherein they are cooled toisomeextent and the heat recovered as hereinafter.-setforth andthen passed through a line 29,@which may haVeasu-itable -valve therein as shown, toca fractionating `tower generally indicated at 38. This tower maybeofthe Well known bubble type fand :serves for the yfractional condcnsation offtheconstituents of the vaporsupplied thereto. `@As shown there .aref our .normally liquid fractions .removed from .the fraction-ating .towersgalthough this lnumber may abe greater or .less-asd'esiredv and .the fractions maybe selected asto vany .:desiredlimits as :is vnow well know-nin Ythe-wart. .The four fractions. here. illus- .trated may be, startingfrom the top, a line 3.I

`forfnapl'ltha and gasoline, a line 32 for gas ,oil

which .may yalso -be used .in part .as ka cracking stock las hereinafter -set..f.orth, .aline 33 'for fuel oil r:anda fline134 :for pitch- .The .permanently gaseous materials and .any vother .material entrained .fandffcarriedsalon-g thereby and which is non-:combustiblexior :inorganic :material .initially @715 ,not :condensed :.in :the yfrat-etici.ating tower `30,

7 passes through a line 35 from the upper portion thereof.

The line 35 joins the line I2 above described and then may pass to and through a condenser 38 in which the temperature of the materials is reduced preferably substantially to room temperature and any condensible gases may be separated from the permanent gases. For this pur pose the materials liowing from the condenser 3S pass through a line 31 through a vapor separator 38 from which permanent gases may pass through a line 3Q and condensed or liquid Products through a line 4Q. The liquid products in the line 40 will include the lighter naphthas and lighter straight run gasoline fractions. The permarient gases from the line 39 may pass through suitable gas scrubbing devices (not shown) for removal of selected constituents such as com pounds of sulfur and then may be used for any desired purposes. These are two more of the final products from the process. The naphtha and gasoline fractions passing from the line SI may be passed in part through a heat interchanger or cooler 4I and thence through a line 42 to a suit able collecting point, the heat recovered in the heat interchanger 4I being employed as desired in any desired part of the process of otherwise. Similarly a selected part of the gas oil fraction passing out through line 32 may pass through a heat interchanger or cooler 43 and thence through a line 44 to a suitable place where a surplus portion of this material may be stored. Thus there is obtained from the lines 42 and 44 two other nal products from the process, in-

cluding straight run gasoline and similar fractions from the line 42 and gas oil from the line 44.

A selected portion of the lighter fractions, which preferably contain a major proportion at least of gas oil, is diverted from the line 32 prior to passing through the cooling device or heat interchanger 43 interposed in this line, through a line 45, to a solvent storage and heater apparatus 46 under control of a valve 4l. This serves as a source of solvent oil to be supplied to the line under control of the valve 5 as aforesaid. If desired, a selected and minor proportion or" the lightest fractions from the line 3| may be diverted through a line 48 under control of a valve 49 to mix with the gas oil portion diverted for use as a solvent. It is noted that both or either of these portions thus diverted for use as a solvent, are taken off from the flow of these materials from the fractionating tower to the storage point for the nal products in advance of the cooling thereof, so as to retain in the diverted materials as much as possible of the sensible heat which they contain upon leaving the fractionating tower and so as to minimize the requirements of re-heating, prior to their use as a solvent, for which they are used hot as aforesaid.

The lines 33 and 34 pass through suitable heat transfer coils in the solvent heater 46 enroute to the collecting points for the materials passing through these lines as diagrammatlcally illustra-ted in the accompanying drawing. Flow through these lines is controlled by suitable valves indicated at 5i! and 5I, respectively. These lines conduct two more of the `final products resulting from this process. contained in these materials, which are discharged from the fractionating tower 30 at relatively higher temperatures than the temperatures at which the lower boiling fractions are discharged, is saved to a large extent at least and However, the heat f transmitted to the solvent oil being re-circulated in the process by the apparatus shown, thus effecting a practical saving of heat at this point.

In some instances, it may be desired to reintroduce permanently gaseous products of the reaction back into the ow of uid, which has been traced out hereinabove, particularly for the purpose of providing a reducing gas for reaction with any sulfur which may be present in the original material, so as to sweep out this sulfur in the form of hydrogen sulde and thereby to separate it from the other products which are separated from each other as stated. For this purpose there is shown a line 52 leading from the apparatus (not shown) wherein the permanent gases may be received and stored or otherwise treated and passing to the heat interchanger 28. In this interchanger the gases in the line 52 are brought up to a desired higher temperature and then passed through a line 53 to the line I5 in advance of the pipe still heater I8. This gaseous material may then react with the sulfur either in the pipe still heater or in the vaporizing chamber 22 or some other subsequent part of the apparatus to reduce the sulfur to hydrogen sulfide, which will be carried through the process through the paths hereinabove set forth and pass out from the fractionating tower 30 through the line 35 and thence through the heat interchanger 36, the vapor separator 38 and the line 39 and may be recovered from the gas by a suitable scrubbing operation with an absorbent liquid.

In some instances it may be desired to effect a control of the temperature of the materials enroute from the pipe still heater I8 to the Vaporizing chamber 22, for example, so as to reduce the temperature of the liquid entering the vaporizing chamber. To enable this to be done, a bypass 54 may be provided, which is connected at its entran-ce end to the pipe I5 between the specific gravity separation apparatus I4 and the pipe still heater I8 and at its exit to the line 2I extending between the pipe still heater and the chamber 22. The amount of material thus by-passed may be accurately controlled by control of a valve 55 in the line I5 and one or more valves as shown at 56 and 5'! in the by-pass 54. It will thus be seen that by the control of the ow of a selected amount of material through the by-pass 54, the temperature of the adrniXed materials following the return of this by-passed material to the llow through the line ZI may be such as to control the temperature of the fluid entering the vaporizing chamber 22.

Under certain circumstances it may be desirable to add more heat to the solvent being re-circulated through the process, i. e., enroute from the solvent heater or stoppage tank 46, through the line 5 to the dissolving step of the process. For this purpose a by-pass line 58 is provided as shown in Fig. 1, through which the highly heated material from the pipe still heater I8 nowing through line 2I may be diverted under control of a valve 59 in line 58 to the line 5. By controlling the amount of the highly heated material so introduced into the line 5, the temperature of the mixed materials in this line may be accurately predetermined.

In order to prevent carbonization in the pipe still heater I8 and in the vaporizing chamber 22, it may in some instances be desirable to `admit steam to mix with the materials owing through the line I5 to the pipe still heater. For this purpose a line G from a suitable source of steam (not shown)v is provided,v .which may be used? for admitting` an adjustablyv variable amount of'. steam to: the line I under control `of a valve.y BI inztheline.

Treatment of the heavier specific gravity portionr separated. by specific gravity` separation Referring'now to the form of thev invention shown Figure 1, theheavier specic gravityf portion which is separated yfrom the liquid conf stituents, the ow of which has beenI traced inthe previousA section; by the apparatus generally designated as at I4, passes thence through the line diagrammatically indicated' at I6 to apparatus byv which the petroleum products or hydrocarbons still included therewith may be separated therefrom. I'contemplate that this sep'- aration may b'e either and preferably byV both of two ways, first, by vaporization of volatile constituents and second,A by admixing the` solid materials with a large' amount of Water andi then separating the oil-soluble portions from the inorganic portions by'decantaton. In the diagrammatic illustration shown in Fig. 1, both these means or process steps are shown in the. sequence hereinabove given.

For effecting a vapori'zat'ionseparation, the materials passing through. the line I6 are first heated to a desired high temperature such that most, ii not all, of the hydrocarbon material therein may be volatilizedl For eiecting this heating,.it is contemplated thatv heat. may be applied to to the higher specific gravity separated portion resulting from. the specic gravity separation aforesaidl in the apparatus generally indicated at I4, such. application of heat being contemplated by any suitable means,` including external or4 muffledv heating, or internal or direct heating as by the admixture with this material of any highly heated fluid.

In the present instance, I havev chosen to show internal heating, using. as a heating fluid products of combustion generated especially for this purpose in a generator generally indicated at 52. The construction of this generator may be of any known or desired type.. Any desired fuelmay beused therein, which can be burned to producehighly heated products of. combustion. I prefer. however, to usey gassupplied to the generator 6-2 through a line 63; which is mixed and burned with air supplied to thegenerator through a line 64. Pressure Within the generator may be maintained at any desiredpoint by suitablemeans (not shown), so that. products; or combustion issueA from the generator through aA line. 65,- to. join the' materialpassing through thev line- I6 as shown. This mixed material flows together through a substantial distance in the line I6Y to a gas or vapor separator 66.-

' In this separatoranypressure'which may exist in the line I-6 and which may bei reta-ined therein under control of a Valve ilA` adjacent to the' point whereV this lineenterstheseparator66 may be released', sov as to` maintain inY the` separator 66';- a relatively low; preferably substantially at.- mospheric'pressure. Vapor` and gaseous constituents-Whichiseparate from a substantially solid residueY in the separator 66 may pass therefrom` through a line 68, vthence through a condenser generally indicated at 69 wherein, the `products may be cooled to condense the normally liquid portionsV thereof and'z thence. to. a secondv separator 10, wherei'nthe condensed and now liquefied portions are separatedfrom thegaseous portions..4

10 The gaseous portions pass from the separator 'It through a line 'It to`V anysuitable exhaust point such as a stack. Liquid portions pass therefrom throughra' linefitorat suitable pointinithe process previously-Ldes'cribed, whichY in the present instance. is the; line 5throughi which solvent is returned torthe cdssolving.` step of theprocess. Thus liquidsupplied' totthe'line will be passed again througlfr the.v process and valuable products thereofrrecovered..

Non-volatile material or residue passes from the lower end oitthe: vapor separator tit, through an inner pipealfi through. which it is; caused to movev by the' provisiontherein of a helical screw conve'yoriki', .vhichisasecured to a center shaft, carrying: outside.- the pipe I3 a toothed Wheel 15, Whic'hi may bei. driven by any suitable source of power (not.showrnf.A Surrounding the pipe 'i3 is` outer.k pipeI i6; to.. form therebetween a jacket. and thereby to provide a heat interchanger at thissteplof the prooess,.so as to recover as much ast-possible otthervheat romthe solid materials passing.throughtheV pipe 13a While it is contemev plated that this4 heat might be utilized at any desired. portion of the" process `above described, I

haveshownitl-as ,beingusedr to supply heat to the' solvent being. returned. to the. dissolving step oftheprocess;` For this purpose, the lineVI is. providedLfrom-L the line; 5 tothe annular jacket portion betvveenthe4 pipes. 'I3 and I6J and a return pipe' F31 is providediirom this. annularV space backI tothe-line 5i. Flow through the jacket between. theL pipes IIS-and 'Iiilis controlledv by a valve 'I9 in the'line' 'it' and apvalvet in the line 5 between the connections-oithis linetwith lines 'I'I and 18..

The solid` material which has; been moved from l'ert to-right as seen in- Fig-' 1, through the innerl pipe' t3; by thehelical screw conveyor 'i4 passes fromI this Vvpipethrouglfra pipe 8l and may be discharged for any desired use as a nal product at thispoint ormay besubjected as shown in the drawings, toafurth'er separation step for separating* the-inorganic materials from any organic material's'remaihing" therein which will oat on water. This step comprises the mixing of the materials with a substantial amount of water and then' separating the oily materials, which will float thereon, from the solid materials which will sink to the bottom, this separation being effected by decantation.

For carrying outthispurpose, there is providedl a settling tanky apparatus generally indicated at 82. A desired amount of water may be admixed with the materials flowing through the pipe 8| from a. water line 83 under control of a suitable valve 84 therein. rThe settling tank apparatus may take the form shown or any other suitable form for effecting this purpose. As shown, however, this tank includes outlets at different levels as shown at B5 and 35 for the higher and lower' levels, respectively. These outlets comprise pipes having valves 8l' and 88 therein, respectively, so that the oil-water interface is kept at a level between these two outlets, excess oily material being run ofi` through the pipe 85 and excess water through the pipe 85. Solid inorganic materials, which sink to the bottom, may be moved toa desired outlet pipe 8B by anendless conveyor 99,v which is trained around sprockets QI and 92, one of which may be suitably driven. Material passing out through the pipe 89 may be controlled by a suitable, valve mechanism 93 therein and may be. disposed ofY in any suitable way, including such uses for which it may be. suited.

.cesareo Combination of above described process with cracking In Fig. 2 of the drawings, there is shown a diagrammatic illustration of apparatus for carrying out a combined process, including not only the process hereinabove set forth, but also the cracking of a cracking stock produced by the process as previously described and wherein certain other combination features are used for effecting a joint result.

The process generally includes most of the basic features of that process previously described in connection with Fig. 1 and employs many and substantially all the same elements, which are given the same reference characters in order to bring out this similarity. It may be desired, however, to combine this process with one for cracking a cracking stock, which in the usual instance, is or may be substantially the same as the gas oil fraction previously described, and which fraction is preferably used in part for re-circulation as the source of solvent for the dissolving of the soluble portion of the original raw material. As shown, some of the gas oil or cracking stock is diverted from the line through a line 94 under control of a valve 95 and then passes to a cracking still 96, which may be the same as or similar to the pipe still heater I8. From this cracking still the products pass through a line 97 to a reaction chamber 98, in which the pressure is preferably somewhat less than that at which the material flows into the cracking still 96, so that there will be a separation therein between volatile constituents and non-volatile material. It is contemplated in accordance with this invention that either liquid or vapor phase cracking may be carried out, or any combination therebetween, this being effected by pressure and temperature control in any suitable way, for example, by the provision of suitable valves as shown at 99 and |09 in the line 91. The temperature to which the materials in the cracking still 96 are raised is contemplated to be in the range of about 850 F. to 1050 F. and preferably about 975 F.

Vapor from the reaction chamber 98, which acts as a vaporizing chamber and/or vapor separator, may pass through a line |0| under control of a valve |02 therein to a fractionating tower |93, which may be essentially the same as the fractionating tower 30 above described. In the tower |03, the vapor is subdivided by fractional condensation in the usual manner into selected fractions having different specic gravities as is now well known in the art. These fractions may include a gaseous fraction passing out of the top of the fractionating tower |03 through a line 99, a gasoline fraction passing out the upper portion through a line |05, a gas oil or re-cycle cracking stock fraction passing through a line |09, and one or more heavier fractions, which may pass out through other lines as shown at |01 and |93, the latter being heavy tarry material. These materials may be nal products of the process as above described for the products drawn from the fractionating tower 30. Thus the material from the line |95 may all pass out this line through a suitable cooler (not shown) to a place Where this material may be collected. Alternatively a Portion thereof may pass through a line |09 to a storage and heating chamber, ||0 similar to the chamber 46, to be re-circulated or re-cycled through the cracking process. The material for re-cycling is not desired to be cooled, as it must again be re-heated, so that it is withdrawn from the line or lines from the fractionatlng tower prior to the cooling of the materials passing through other portions of these lines. The amount of material withdrawn from the line |05, through line |09, is controlled by a valve in the latter. A branch line H2 controlled by a valve H3 is pro-` vided for the flow of material from the line |06 to the line |09. Material from the storage or heating chamber ||0 Amay pass thence through ay line ||4 under control of a valve H5 back to the line 94 leading to the cracking still 96, a suitable' to a suitable delivery point. In this form of the invention there is also shown the line 40 from the vapor separator 38 passing to join the line H4, a suitable pump mechanism |8 being introduced therein to insure a desired flow of iluid in the path stated and a valve I I9 being provided in this line for control of the flow.

In accordance with the usual practice, it is contemplated that several times as much material will be re-cycled through the cracking still and other apparatus just described in respect to the amount of material entering through the line 94 into the cracking portion of the process, so that there will be a two or three to one ratio between the re-cycled stock and the new material supplied for cracking.

Another tie in between the cracking portion of the process and that portion described in connection with Fig. l, is in the treatment of the non-volatile materials separated from the Vapor in the vaporizing chamber 22 and passing from the bottom of this chamber through the line 24. If desired, Vsome of this material may be withdrawn from the process at this point through a line |20 under control of a valve |2| for such use as it is desired to put this material. However, some of this material, a selected part, may be supplied through a line |22 under control of a valve |23 to the line 91 between the cracking still 96 and the reaction chamber 98 and between the valves 99 and |00 in this line 91, as shown. This is termed quench in the art and serves to admix a portion of heavy materials from the first `part of theV process with the materials during their cracking or enroute to the cracking chamber. It serves to cool these materials to some extent and cause other desirable results, which will not be explained in detail herein as they form per se no part of the present invention.

Another feature, which is also old in the art, but which is diagrammatically disclosed herein, is the treatment of the non-volatile materials from the reactionchamber 98, which pass out through a line |24 from the bottom of this chamber andthence to a flash chamber |25, wherein the pressure is preferably maintained substantially less than the pressure Within the reaction chamber 98. This subject matter was originally disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,585,233, granted May 18, 1926, for Process for continuously distilling and cracking hydrocarbon oils. Flow of these materials through the line |24 is controlled by a suitable valve |26 therein. In the ash chamber |25, due to the substantial reduction in pressure therein, some of the materials supplied thereto will vaporize, the vapor passing 01T airco/ico through a line |21 under control of a valve |28 to and through a cooler or heat interchanger E29, wherein the materials are substantially all liqueed and pass thence through a line |30 to join the line ||4 or to some other selected part of the process. The relatively non-volatile material from the flash chamber |25 may pass through a line |3| from the lower end thereof, thence through a cooler or heat interchanger |32 to a desired collection point for this material, the flow being controlled by a suitable valve |33 interposed in this line.

There remains to describe merely the treatment of the heavier specic gravity portion separated from the lighter specific gravity portion in the separating apparatus I4 and passing therefrom through the line I6 under control of a valve |34 in this line. This material is preferably treated substantially the same as the similar material in the Fig. 1 form of the process, the apparatus being given the same reference characters as far as they are applicable to corresponding elements. The description of this apparatus will not be repeated herein, except to point out differences. Substantially the only difference is in the treatment of the condensation material from the vapor separator 10, which in this case passes through the line 12 to rejoin the re-cycle cracking stock passing through the line H4 as shown.

While I have shown and described but one basic process for carrying out the separation and recovery of valuable materials from rock asphalt, oil shales and like material and certain optionally usable variants thereof, including a means for cracking portions of the resultant materials, I contemplate that further variants may be devised and employed as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. I do not wish to be limited, therefore, except by the scope of the appended claim, which is to be construed validly as broadly as the state of the prior art permits.

What I claim is:

The process of treating rock asphalt, oil shales and like material containing both oil-soluble hydrocarbon and oil-insoluble inorganic portions to recover valuable petroleum products therefrom, which comprises the steps of comminuting such material until a major portion thereof is in a size range of about 30 to 40 mesh, mixing the comminuted material with a solvent to dissolve the oil-soluble portion thereof, said solvent being obtained from a subsequent step of the process, maintaining the temperature of the materials during solution in the order of magnitude of about 350 F., separating most of the oil-insoluble inorganic material from the solution of the oilsoluble portion by a continuous centrifuging operation based upon specific gravity difference while maintaining the entire body of such material and the solvent in a temperature in the order of magnitude of about 350 F., so as to control the viscosity of the liquid portion thereof and to yield a separated liquid portion having not over 5% of the inorganic material remaining therein and a complementary separated portion containing most of the inorganic material, passing this separated liquid portion to a pipe still heater and there heating it to a temperature in theorder of magnitude of about 850 F., bypassing a selected portion of this separated liquid material around the pipe still heater and again mixing it with the material passing therethrough to control the temperature of the liquid material as re-mixed, passing this material as re-mixed into a vaporizing chamber and there effecting a Vaporization separation of remaining inorganic material and non-volatile material from the vapor, passing the vapor from the vaporization chamber to a fractionating tower and therein effecting a fractional condensation separation of the Vapor into desired fractions including a gaseous fraction, at least one fraction of the type of naphtha and straight run gasoline, a gas oil fraction and at least one heavier fraction, reheating a selected portion of said gas oil fraction by heat derived from at least one of said heavier fractions to provide a source of heated solvent oil, returning this heated solvent oil for use as a solvent for additional comminuted material as aforesaid, heating said complementary separated portion to a temperature sufficient to vaporize most of the volatile constituents thereof by introducing thereinto products of combustion generated for the purpose, effecting a vaporization separation between the non-volatile residue including the major part of the inorganic material and the gases and Vapor-thus produced, condensing normally liquid hydrocarbon constituents from this vapor, returning such condensed hydrocarbon constituents to mix with said solvent en route to the dissolving step aforesaid, and effecting a further separation between the major part of the inorganic material in said residue and any hydrocarbon material remaining therewith by treating the residue with water and decanting off separated hydrocarbon material therefrom.

JOHN W. COAST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,327,572 Ryan Jan. 6, 1920 1,357,278 Day Nov. 2, 1920 1,490,213 Jenson Apr. 15, 1924 1,607,977 Armstrong Nov. 23, 1926 1,778,515 Hampton Oct. 14, 1930 1,868,737 Egloi July 26, 1932 1,903,749 Carter Apr. 11, 1933 1,934,028 Asbury Nov. 7, 1933 2,132,441 Rosenthal Oct. 11, 1938 2,328,325 Butikofer Aug. 31, 1943 2,431,677 Brown Dec. 2, 1947 

